>> brian: how often do i come up with billy and steve and dane at all? >> you? at least once every 15 years. >> brian: yeah. alec -- at least he was nice to talk to me. but he got into it again with a photographer. life's a circle. bill: good morning to you. fox news alert. there are fears syria's dictator could strike again as president obama hold a meeting to weigh the options on a high-level strike in syria. we all await his decision as does the world. martha: we have new reports from the "wall street journal" that the white house is moving quickly on this because they have reason to believe syria is planning to launch another chemical attack in the country's largest city aleppo.

wait wants to accomplish with action. molly henneberg is live at the white house leading our coverage. what is the white house saying? >> the u.s. has to get involved because the world community cannot leave a chemical attack or chemical attacks plural unanswered. but the white house says the goal is not to out of syrian president bashar al-asaad. even though the obama administration believes this is not the only chemical weapons attack by the regime this year. >> the options being considered by the president and his national security team are not around the question of whether chemical weapons were used in syria on a massive scale causing death and injury to innocents women and children. its many not whether they are

responsible, it's what is the he appropriate response to this clear violation of international norms. >> reporter: but to ... >> we are basically saying you are stay in power. this is the same president that two years ago said that bashar al-asaad must leave office. so where is america's credibility? >> reporter: the white house says the administration intends to declassify and release intelligence information. why the white house believes it was a chemical attack. bill: will he seek congressional authority before a military strike? >> reporter: the white house says it's consulting with congress as the war powers act requires. kings out of town for recess but

one congressman says the president should do mow. he says the president should be making the case to the american public and his administration should come to congress to explain their plans. the consequences are too great for congress to be brushed aside. the president has been speaking with foreign leaders including british prime minister david cameron. they discussed possible consequences from the international community to syria. martha: we are told that the military assets are already in place when and if president obama does decide to order a strike. here is defense secretary chuck hagel speaking about this to the bbc. >> leaders all over the world said let's get the facts. let's get the intelligence, then

a decision will be made on whether action should be taken, what action, or no action. but if you are ready to go like that. >> we are ready to go like that. martha: defense officials tell fox news a military operation could include missiles, but surgical strikes on the chemical weapons stockpile are not said to be part of this plan. bill: we'll look at the storage facilities next hour. but this hour we want to key in on the overwhelming military assets that just the united states has in this region. here are the key air bases. you can start up in italy, aviano. also in turkey and jordan. further east, if all these sites here in bahrain and qatar and the sites set up for the wars in

iraq and afghanistan, also oman. it would take days or weeks to most assets in the gulf. then you have and amphibious assault ship there because the activity in that country the last few months has been hot and heavy. these are the four navy assets moved into the eastern mediterranean recently. they are poised. they could strike awrong the assistance of the u.s. air force flying overhead. each of those destroyers could hold up to 90 tomahawk cruise missiles if and when it happens. in adigs to that, you have french assets in the area, you have british assets in the area. they are loaded with fire power depending on how much they want

to use and when. >> you look at the list of phone calls going back and forth between the state department, the defense department and all our allies. the president is weighing his options and it remains how he will handle congress in all of this. consulting a lot of foreign entities but what about the folks at home in terms of their approval on military action? it's clear when you lack back senator obama believed such authority was absolutely necessary as he repeatedly criticized president bush's actions in iraq and beyond. is the administration contradicting itself? we have a fair and balanced debate on the president's take on all that. in the meantime. concerns over syria already hitting all mayor chance the wallet. oil prices skyrocketing, hitting a 2-year high in trading. crude traded $109 a barrel. it many the most americans paid

for oil in two years. speculators say the numbers could get a lot worse if you look at the region bill just took a look at on the map. stuart, this could be a sign of things to come. >> the price of oil right now is a dollar higher than what you just put on the screen. we are well above $110 a barrel right now. we already maid a price for the syrian situation. prepare to pay some more. as oil prices go up you can expect the price at the pump to go up very quickly, very soon. this labor day weekend you can expect pump prices to be significantly higher than where they were this morning. that many the price of oil. if you look at the stock market where a lot of your 401k and ira and pension money is logged,

that's taken a hit. don't expect much of a bounceback if any this morning. what he paid a financial price. get ready to pay some more. martha: it could be if we are in the middle of some sort of economic recovery that this could tamp that down. as you point out when you look at stocks. people tend to flee into safer commodity driven investments. >> gold is up. back to school spending was weak. the housing market is beginning to trend a little bit down from where it was. this latest situation is not dad news for america's economy. bill: today the nation marking 50 years since the historic march on washington.

dr. martin luther king's iconic i have a dream speech to a quarter million people who gathered on our national mall on the nation's capital. the lincoln memorial, where festivities are planned today. and the stirring words 50 years ago from dr. king. >> i have a dream ... that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. i have a dream today. >> reporter: those words live on on this day august 28, 2013, where thousands expected to gather around the lincoln memorial starting in the moaning going well into the afternoon. kelly wright is there for us. >> good morning. 50 years ago dr. martin luther

king jr. talks about how he has a dream, americans at that time embraced a dream that changed america. right now the youngest child of dr. martin luther king is speak at a church service not far away in washington. we are listening to or seeing bernice king speak at shiloh baptist church about her dad. she recalled some recollections with me saying she is always moved by people who meet her and greet her and talk about how her dad had a dream. she was only 5 months old when that speech was made. she told me in an interview that she believes much has been accomplished for being recognized by the contents of her character and not the color of her skin. buff she says there is still a lot of work to be done for education, violence and poverty which are impediments to

realizing the dream. >> what happened in in the *, connecticut. that should have jolted us like nothing else. 6-year-olds losing their lives . thinking about chicago as we talked about and all those little boys and kids, young people killing each other. what has happened to a society that can turn away from that kind of situation and not realize this speaks to who we are as a nation and the can sr. in our society. the situation with trayvon martin. there are several trayvon martins every day, not just in the black communities, the latino, black community and other communities. >> reporter: bernice king saying her father paid the ultimate sacrifice to pave the way for millions of americans to fully one day take a seat at the table of brotherhood. bill: it will be a remarkable day.

kelly, thank you for that. kelly wright live at the lincoln memorial. at foxnews.com you can watch bernice king. it streams live. check it out online if you want to watch that while we are on the air, too. martha: a happy homecoming for a little girl whose family had to go to court to get the right to get her a double lung transplant. now her family is speaking exclusively to fox news. what a story this is. sarah murnaghan's message to everybody and so many of you out there who were supportive of her. bill: there are serious concerns about what's happening in syria. some argue we have no choice but to act. but our next guest will argue now is not the time. >> right now in syria our enemies are killing each other. why on earth -- where in our constitution does it say we

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martha: family and friends are paying their respects to christopher lane. he's the australian baseball player who was shot in the back while jogging last week in oklahoma. >> christopher will always be in our memories and forever in our hearts. >> when the loss [inaudible] martha: just heartbroken of course. look at these pictures of that young man and all of those mourning him. three teenagers face murder charges. one of them said they decided to go out and kill lane that day

because they were bored. bill: my next guest believes knighteer side should get our support in syria. not the dictator and not the opposition which features al qaeda fighters. you are strong in your opposition to this, why? >> it's the most phenomenally stupid misuse of our military. no one in the administration has explained what tangible reason we have. it's about obama shooting off his mouth about red lines and chemical weapons. he doesn't want to do too much, he doesn't want to do too little. he's not thinking through the

potential consequences. i see no way in which a military attack on syria is worth it for the united states. bill: how do you allow anyone on this planet to use chemical weapons and not react. >> where is the risk? the arab league doesn't want to attack. bill: you have the french and british. the arab league did not come out in support. but there is support among these arab nations to do it, whether it's written on a piece of paper or declared on a piece of paper. >> they have their agendas. this is a local fight, a civil war, family feud. comes don't like to get in the middle of family feuds. let's back it up a little bit. again what is our vital security interest.

wmd? i abhor the use of chemical weapons. they should be and must be. but assad's enemies are al qaeda and its franchises who have killed tens if not hundreds of thousands of muslims at this point. is it better on tortured to death by al qaeda, be burned alive in your christian church by al qaeda or be gassed? i'm still not completely sure the assad regime was behind the gas attack. bill: the administration told us the white house is going to show public proof of it. we after he wait on that. you know they are doing this the situation room. if we act, what does hezbollah do? do they go after israel? and if so does it become a broader issue. >> obama has no close trusted military advisers. he's got ideologues in there

with people thinking politics. what does the hezbollah do? maybe a few token missiles at israel. bill: what was iran do? >> you heard stuart varney talking about the price of oil going up. iran doesn't have to do much to drive up insurance companies or close down the straits of hormuz. there are all kinds of things you can do. but before you use united states military in an attack on syria, you need to weigh all the potential consequences. you can't do what bush did in baghdad or clinton in libya. we are not prepared for a case.

if worse came to worse. are we ready for a military confrontation in iran in the persian gulf because syria used chemical weapons? you have got to think it through. bill: will it happen or will it not then? >> the strikes? yes, because obama feels his personal credibility is on the line. he's going to try to get halfway pregnant. he already told the syrians we are coming. so there is no surprise. they will drain out their headquarters buildings and disperse their weapons. it will be an uglier version of what bill clinton did in the 90s. martha: these pictures have never been seen before. they are of the takedown of the alleged boston bomber. you remember some of these. this is one of the new ones. the pictures you are not suppose of see of dzhokhar tsarnaev from

the view of the snipers who took him down. bill: her baby was murdered right in his carriage. why is the prosecution turning the case on her? [ male announcer ] we all deserve a good night's sleep. thankfully, there's zzzquil. it's not for colds, it's not for pain, it's just for sleep. ♪ because sleep is a beautiful thing™. ♪ zzzquil. the non-habit forming sleep-aid from the makers of nyquil®.

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bill: a teenage boy recovering after a vicious attack from a wolf at a campground in minnesota. he's 16 years old. he is a church outing saturday night. he was sitting by the lake with his girlfriend when he says the gray wolf lunged at him. >> i could feel it rip into my head. i was looking at it right in the eye. out of the bleu it bit me on the

back of the head. i was jumping trying to get out. i was scared when it first happened. once i got up i knew of i was fine. i was just afraid it was going to come back and try to attack me again or rachael. bill: a wolf in minnesota. 17 staples to close the wounds. the wolf was captured. he will be tested for rabies. martha: this story is an awful one. we are expecting emotional testimony. this is a trial after teenager from georgia who is charged in the murder of this little boy. he was 13 months old when he was shot in his stroller as his mother threw her arms across him

and tried to save his life. >> he asked me if i wanted him to shoot my baby. and i said, please don't shoot my baby. he shot a warning shot to the ground. martha: it's unbelievable. this story of. it couldn't be more awful. john roberts is covering this trial in mayor yeta, georgia. it's's so unbelievable. >> it continues to be dramatic. it was arrive thing day of testimony yesterday and a possible pivot point in this trial. sherry west breaking down several times on the stand as she told the jury how she went to the post office the morning of march 21. five minutes from the safety of her home she says she was sea

costed on the street by two boys. one of home demanded her purse. when she refused to hand it over, that's when the encounter turned deadly. >> i asked him, why are you doing this? please don't do this. it feel like he shot in the air. then he shot me in the leg. >> what happened after that? he walked over and shot my baby. >> did he shoot your baby? >> yes. i tried to stop him. i put my arms over my baby, but he still shot him. >> reporter: moments after that testimony the prosecution asked if the man who shot him

was in the room and she said yes and pointed to marcus elkins. martha: your heart just breaks for this woman. the defense -- what do they say? >> your heart breaks for the woman. but the defense is trying to argue in court it wants to do all it can to impeach this witness. yesterday in six hours of cross-examination the defense attorney, a public defender, questioned whether or not sherry west misled investigators when she took them on a re-creation of the murder hours after that shooting took place. he also questioned bizarre questions west allegedly made to the police about the short. er use of crack cocaine and alleged abuse of her elder daughter and her mental illness for which she takes a laundry list of mefd cases. >> one of the mental illnesses

up suffer is bipolar disorder or manic depression. >> bipolar. >> another is traumatic stress disorder and another is borderline manic depressive and paranoia. >> yes. >> reporter: the defense is trying to suggest that west or the baby's father might have had something to do with the shooting:'. asking if the baby's killing wasn't in some way merciful. the idea he was trying to plants in the brain of the jurors that someone who wanted to kill the baby wanted to make sure that baby did not suffer, someone like a parent. martha: unbelievable testimony. what a trial this is. we'll be following it with your help down there. we'll see you later. bill: we are seeing a change of

tone from president obama since his days as senator obama. >> because after war in iraq that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged, we are less safe than we were before 9/11. bill: is the president contradicting himself on syria? and a tennis champion. check it out. go, girl! martha: those are the moments people have to see at the u.s. open. a rising star. the crowds went wild after 17-year-old victoria duval beat the champion amanda stoucher. she went on to win two more straight sets and take the victory. there is the family.

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martha: critics are saying president obama seems to be changing his tune on executive authority. senator barack obama repeatedly slammed president bush for what he called a failed policy in iraq and accusing the former

president of being too quote war like with other anti-american nations like iran. >> they suggest that the time for diplomacy and pressure is running out when we haven't even tried direct diplomacy. george bush and dick cheney must hear loud and clear from the american people and the congress, you do not have our support and you do not have our authorization to launch another war. martha: that was back in 2011. -- that was back in 2007 and now we are on the cusp of other action going into syria. a younger looking barack obama then senator now president. he always had at the core of everything he talked about, getting out of the wars in iraq and afghanistan. in the state of the union he

talked about putting the decade of wars behind us. so what's your reaction to where we are today with syria? >> great disappointment. i supported him as an anti-war candidate. we had a surge in afghanistan. we went into libya. against the very thing he talked about in 2007. he has to inform congress within 48 hours of any kind of military action then he has 60 days after which he would need congressional authorization to continue a war. that started in 1973 and that was violated by bill clinton and ronald reagan. presidents don't seem to wants to pay attention -- even the war powers resolution is considered by constitutional scholars to be a violation of the constitution where it's up to congress to declare war. this should not be happening. martha: let's play a sound bite from joe bide hon has take and

different stance on that. it's quote. the president has no constitutional authority to take this nation to war unless we are attacked or unless there is proof we are about to be attacked. that was back in 2007. when i look back at the quotes from the president from the interview he did with crisco mow *. he kk its suggests there is a military interest breached in the big picture. is he lay be the ground worker to his justification. >> there is not a lot of american interest in syria. you have al qaeda on one side, you have hamas and iranian-backed terrorist groups fighting on behalf of the assad regime. he's saying that to try to get more support. but when you look at the comments as a candidate based on now, it's always easier to be

the guy criticizing an administration from the outside in. but what's unfortunate is the obama administration is not holding themselves to the same standards they held to the bush administration even though the bush administration did the things they were supposed to in terms of getting congress in on these war resolutions. martha: you referenced how the people feel about this syria situation. the question was if syria used chemical weapons should the u.s. military get involved? 31% say yes. 37% say no. alan, the other question is, where is the outcry from people out there who feel this way? if they don't want this president who they elected to get them involved in that? >> i'm one who doesn't want them to get involved. i agree with colin powell. and dennis kucinich who said we would be al qaeda's air force.

we don't even know all the elements of the off significance. the idea that we would be taking sides would be a terrible idea. martha: when you look at this situation and the chemical weapons and the 100,000 people already killed in this confrontation, this civil war in syria, where do you think the american people need to stand up against this kind of action? isn't america the sort of beacon that is supposed to step in when there is this kind of he rossity. >> we can't be the policemen of the world. we can't afford it. we can't interject ourselves into what is basically a civil war. we can support democracy where it starts to emerge. but if we go into syria, do we go into africa? where do we go? where do we draw the line where we put our dollars and american treasure. martha: serious, serious times

as we take a look at it. many thanks for being here today. make sure you have visit our brand-new politics page because there is a lot of substantive discussion about this as well. go to foxnews.com/politics. bill: these are alter are you figure discussions, by the way. so we'll have all these ages covered for you have. it looks like a bomb went off. that's how a firefighter describes the path cut by a massive wildfire that could be burning for months. what crews are doing to help push back these today flames. martha: the little girl whose family challenged the nation's organ donor laws. she has a new set of lungs and

is using them to speak to us for the first time. >> she is looking forward to being a regular little kid. she is looking forward to horseback ride and ice skate.

honey, we need to talk. we do? i took the trash out. i know. and thank you so much for that. i think we should get a medicare supplement insurance plan. right now? [ male announcer ] whether you're new to medicare or not, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. it's up to you to pay the difference. so think about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, they help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay and could really save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call now. with a medicare supplement plan, you'll be able to stay with your doctor. oh, you know, i love that guy. mm-hmm. [ male announcer ] these types of plans let you visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. and there are no networks.

you do your push-ups today? prepare to be amazed. [ male announcer ] don't wait. call today to request your free decision guide and find the aarp medicare supplement plan to go the distance with you. go long. martha: we have incredible photos that document the takedown of the alleged boston bomber. we have new ones that add to the whole events of that takedown. they come from "boston" magazine. look at this one. dramatic picture of him slumped over the side of the boat that he was hiding in just before a tactical team swept in and arrested him. he pled not guilty to this april 15 bombing that killed 3 people and injured hundreds more. incredible pictures.

bill: the little girl who took on the transplant laws slept in her own bed last night. that's sarah murnaghan greeted with tears and welcome home balloons. it took two lung prance plants to help her, and she still has a long way to go with physical therapy. she had a message or anyone facing an uphill battle like she is. >> reporter: what would you say to the people who tried to help you and believed in you. >> thank you. if you are ever in trouble you can be strong, too. bill: peter johnson jr. is a legal analyst who interviewed sarah and the family yesterday.

how is she doing? >> reporter: she is doing as well as she can. she has had two double lung transplants. she was in the children's hospital for 189 days. she was on the verge of death a half dozen times. this is a remarkable story of someone rising from the ashes with the support of family and friends and a lot of people in america and a lot of our audience who reached out to congress people and senators and the medical establishment in this country and said what was going on with this girl was wrong. so she came home to newtown square, pennsylvania to cousins, adopted sister, this incredible american family and it was the happiest moment i have ever spent. bill: they weren't sure she would ever be home again. we just heard one clip. this is such a tender moment. we want our audience to listen.

>> reporter: did you have think you were going to get out of there or did you have think you would stay there a longer time. >> i thought i would stay there for long. it's new. >> reporter: what do you want to do with a new beginning? >> just start over, be like everybody. bill: think about what she has gone through. she just had her 11th birthday and her perspective on life was so touching. >> reporter: i thought i was speaking to a graduate student. she has obviously thought about serious issues in terms of life and death and understands what

she has faced. looking at the dmoncht hospital as it was going on and understood she was literally fighting for her life. she is on steroids. she is on anti-rejection medication. the early tests show the lungs are not being rejected. she'll have around the clock nursing at least for the next few weeks. maybe beyond that. she still has a tracheostomy tube butch she does not have supplemental oxygen. she is -- you are a people person, you love people, you would love this young woman. she is not a girl, she is a young woman. bill: i hope to have the good fortune of meeting her one day as you have getting so close to her and her family. on top of all this she is suffering from cystic fibrosis. >> she does have a long way to go. buff when you get new lungs that

solves big issues. buff she is an incredible fighter and she is an example for all americans that you can fight city hall and the federal government when they are wrong and live as a result of it. bill: i bet she would tell you she is doing awesome today. thank you, peter. peter johnson jr. martha: we are told that our forces are ready to go now but should congress get a say before launching any missile strikes into syria? we'll talk to congressman pete king. bill: a home reduced to rubble. what happened there and who was inside? red lobster's endless shrimp. t's as much as you like, any way you like. try classic garlic shrimp scampi and more. only $15.99, offer ends soon. so come in and sea food differently. now, try seven lunch choices for $7.99. sandwiches, salads and more

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bill: that is a home left in rubble after what appears to be an explosion. one woman unaccounted for. the cause of that blast is not known. it's hampton, new jersey near the border were pennsylvania. and that is a mess. wow! [♪] martha: that's a good looking bus. if you ever attended a grateful dead concert chances are you saw this van. now the vw minivan an icon for many generations going the way of the typewriter. say it isn't so. why has the vw been phased out? >> reporter: brazil is the last country to produce the mini bus. and now it's even too dangerous

for even brazil to produce. even those who love the vw bus says a car that takes 75 seconds to go from 0-60 miles an hour is not suited for every one in today's world. >> i'm not in a hurry to get any place. those of us driving these things all the time don't care about speed. >> reporter: the final edition of the vw bus will be produced in brazil with white wall tires sometime by the end of this year. martha: i love that man. he's not in a hurry. so what's the big deal if it takes a while to accelerate the car. the collectors are already snapping these up? >> reporter: at auction the price has gone from $50,000 to one that tops $200,000. collectors say they are so popular because it's an iconic

vehicle that represents a bygone era. >> everybody had a great time drinking, smoking, enjoying, that's america the way we remember it. that's not here any more. that's why they are just memories. >> reporter: the original price, $2,200. >> reporter: great people in that story. steve, thank you very much. $200,000? we should have bought one-year's ago. we could have got one cheap. let's do a cross-country trip. bill: a wildfire for the record books. flames scorching parts of yosemite national park. now there is an emergency warning in another state because of it. martha: concerns that syria may be ready to launch another chemical weapons attack against innocent civilians.

will the united states act and should we? we will be right back. you have time to shop for car insurance today? yeah. i heard about progressive's "name your price" tool? i guess you can tell them how much you want to pay and it gives you a range of options to choose from. huh? i'm looking at it right now. oh, yeah? yeah. what's the... guest room situation? the "name your price" tool, making the world a little more progressive.

martha: fox news alert here. it is like a bomb went off. those are the word from a firefighter out in california as the 7th largest fire in the state's history continues at this hour to get bigger not a good scene at yosemite and other areas. we welcome you to a brand new hour of "america's newsroom." i'm martha maccallum. bill: i'm bill hemmer. even folks in nevada feeling the effects of yosemite wildfire. they say it could burn for months. people are warned to stay inside because of drifting smoke. the fire is only 20% contained. in one week it has already burned through an area larger than the city of chicago. >> those fuels are so dry and those fuels are so thick we get a really, really hot fire and it scorches the earth.

>> horrendous. the flames were going through 30-foot oak trees like matchsticks. >> we can see all the way to south lake tahoe which is 18 1/2 miles away. as you can see the visibility is half a mile. martha: claudia cowan joins us from tolumne city where it has been burning out of control. like two steps forward and one step backward with the fire. still growing in fact, claudia. >> reporter: very, very frustrating. firefighters are making progress. the good news the fire isn't growing as fast as it did over the weekend. some days we saw the fire double in size. however conditions are making it very, very tough going in the steep rugged canyons. our cameras were along for a media turn yesterday and saw this row of ponderosa pines explode into flames. hot spots hamper structure protection. homes and outbuildings lost so

far. many were at a family summer camp run by the city of berkeley. ironically because of fire's erratic movement this may in fact be the best time to visit yosemite. >> you go into the park, yosemite vally, it is hard to tell there is a fire 20 miles away. the smoke is flowing away from half dome and el capitan, the views are always as beautiful as they are. >> reporter: unfortunately a lot of the thick dense smoke is blowing 150 miles away into reno, nevada, where the air quality is listed as unhealthy for everyone. crews are hoping cooler temperatures and moisture over the next couple of days will help them bet the upper hand here. martha: let's hope so. of course it is very sad for all the family who is lost their homes in all of but you say there is some silver lining in here somewhere, right, claudia? >> reporter: well, you're right, martha. we hear all the time that wildfires can be beneficial for

the forest. the flames clearing away the dead dry brush and making room for new vegetation growth. well it turns out that that bright orange fire retardant that we've seen being dropped from some modified dc 10s out here. it doesn't just slow the fire spread but helps repair the ground that has been burned. listen. >> it is not just a chemical. it has fertilization properties to it to help the area grow once it is reactivated with our rains and snow in that area. >> reporter: he says some areas might recover almost immediately. however, martha, we're hearing it could be months, maybe well into winter before this fire is completely out. martha: wow, that's a long time. claudia, thank you very much. so this fire is massive really in more ways than one. the cost to fight it is estimated at $27 million. it is already scorched 288 square miles. give you an idea how big that is, it is about 60 square miles

larger than the entire city of chicago. wow. bill: here we go back to syria now. fox news alert now because the drum beat of war continues over the crisis in that country. u.n. investigators go back to the scene of an alleged chemical weapons attack. that attack sources say was carried out in the early morning to achieve maximum damage. we now know that u.s. warships are clustered near syrian cities in the eastern mediterranean. even some their neighbors ready to go when the president gives the word, if he gives the word. the pentagon national security correspondent jennifer griffin is there right now. where do we stand on this new day this morning, jennifer? >> reporter: well, bill, right now the pentagon is really in a holding pattern waiting to be toiled by the commander-in-chief if it has the go orders. they are in position ready to strike if given those orders. we know that the pentagon presented a range of plans to the president. the president has not taken a

decision yet. they are, the administration is working through the u.n. security council. u.k.'s prime minister, david cameron has said he will bring a security council resolution condemning the chemical weapons use in syria. they're going to wait for that to play out. there is a vote in the british parliament tomorrow slated for late in the day. david cameron has to two to his parliament in order to get authorization for any sort of military strikes. so you don't expect to see any sort of strike before then. but what we are also hearing is that, that the u.s. may decide if there is a veto in the security council they may then decide to, to basically work with nato partners and carry out a strike unilaterally or with those partners against syria. that is a with the president right now. nato members, nato ambassadors met for the weekly meeting in brussels today. the issue of syria did come up,

but i'm hearing from washington sources that there is no plan right now for an emergency nato ministerial meeting. there is some disagreement within nato about how to proceed but the u.s., france, britain and other allies are making plans and those plans now rest with the president. bill: phone lines are burning jennifer, thank you. if we get more information we'll bring you back on the air. there is a lot happening with you and your sources there at the pentagon. thank you for that. here is martha with more. martha: after meeting with the opposition forces in syria, senator john mccain addressed both the idea that these rebels are really al qaeda militants and what he thinks we need to do in order to give them the upper hand. here's the senator. >> i know that there is some islamic influence maybe. these people are islamists but to call them al news raw or al qaeda affiliated they're not. i met these people. i went into syria. i know general idris he is not a

radical nor are the people that work for him. yes there are jihaddists flowing into all over the world actually to fight but general idris is a good man. if we have a plan here's the plan we need to implement. we need to take out his air capabilities. he is operating out of five or six airfields. we need to give them a safe zone and get the message in, excuse me, get the weapons in to the people that we know are good people and can use it. martha: very interesting take from senator mccain there. he says he is disappointed that the white house is opposed to pursuing regime change in syria but suggested that those strikes would simply help change the momentum in this conflict. bill: mccain made the arguments for some time. so far he has been unsuccessful. this is a map of syria hyped me. there are numerous airstrips and air force areas for the syrian military. we have focused on six

throughout the country now that we believe could be potential targets used by the syrian regime for the past two-and-a-half years in the war. simply put here is damascus where there are three of these. homs would be here and aleppo in the north. these are three areas of strategy for where you would think perhaps an attack would be launched. general jack keane, a retired four-star general and former vice chief of staff for the army and a fox news military analyst. general, good morning to you. six primary targets, is that something you would see in a planning stage here? >> i think so. i think you have to make up your mind we're going to make a strike and to see it should be something more than a statement attack or symbolic attack to punish assad for the use of chemical weapons. we should take more after strategic view. by that i mean, focus on a military capability that he has and significantly degrade it so that the momentum could shift to

the rebels. i agree with senator mccain we should arm the rebels. this is opportune time do that. step two is his most vulnerable military capability he has, bill, is his air power and it is deaf stating for him in terms of impact on the people. there are 20 airfields that are usable in syria, but he is only using six primary airfields where he has the infrastructure, fuel, munitions, command-and-control, maintenance capability. we can deal with all of those airfields, the airplanes on it the and the infrastructure around it. relatively easy. with the weapons that we have in mediterranean right now. bill: that is one map. real quickly folks. so these are the six targets that general jack keane is talking about. advance it one time. because these are the chemical weapons storage areas that we believe are still being used if the chemical weapons are still in place.

one around damascus in the south. one here in the central. one here southwest of aleppo. general, i would imagine you want to stay away from this. if, if chemical weapons are still in one of these three location, and you get a direct hit, you don't know where that is dispersed? >> well, that's correct. i mean, it would take special munitions to eliminate those sites if you will do it from the air and not seize them from the ground obviously. there is nobody entertaining the thought of ground forces here. no special munitions would mean we would have to enter syrian airspace with airplanes and that would mean take down his integrated defense system. that is not going to happen. so, in my judgment we're probably going to stay away from the chemical storage sites for those reasons. i hope we focus on significant degradation of military capability as opposed to spreading these cruise missiles around to a bunch of different targets but not having any significant consequence in terms of adverse results for him.

bill: for the course of this conversation here we're assuming the chemical weapons are still there. you said at the very beginning of our conversation it will happen. will there be a strike? >> i think that's most definitely i mean the officials in washington are leaking that information pretty much every day. bill: okay. >> and i think it's certainly in the offing as you well know. bill: general jack keane, here in new york. see you later this afternoon. okay. general, thanks to you. we're watching all the maps and moving parts and trying to decipher and discern what the decision-making process is. we showed laws hour all the military assets in the area. we're not sure the fire power there, especially when you throw in the french and british. martha: as you i and i talk about some times the question is, what comes next? you look at the military strikes that happened in 1998 after hits on tanzania and kenya in the embassies. many people ultimately believe the result of that was

september 11th. these things have ramifications. it is a tough job being president of the united states. the president is feeling that right now the other big question out there does the white house need to caulk to congress before they carry out the order to give these strikes. well, it depends on who you ask. peter king is here. we'll tell you what he thinks. bill: 50 years since the march on washington and the iconic speech that changed so much in america today. ♪ ♪ [ male annouer ] let's go places. but let's be ready. ♪ let's do our homework. ♪ let's look out for each other. let's look both ways before crossing. ♪ let's remember what's important. let's be optimistic. but just in case -- let's be ready.

let'go places, safely.

♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing good around ♪ ♪ turn around barry ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ ♪

♪ martha: that was curtis mayfield, '60s, hit "people get ready." that song was

inspired by dr. martin luther king, jr.'s historic march on washington which happened 50 years ago today. there is washington today and incredible monument built there to martin luther king. president obama will be there later today. he will be joined by martin luther king's family and two former presidents to mark the civil rights leader's dream for america. juan williams is a fox news political analyst. david webb is host of the david webb show and political party 365 and fox news contributor. gentlemen, welcome. i really enjoyed looking at the pictures and videos from that day and rereading the speech that martin luther king gave that day it is such an incredible speech, incredible moment. the history that surrounded it. of kennedy and apprehensions that existed as we headed into that march that day, but juan, you wrote a fantastic piece on this. i want to get to it in a minute. your big picture thoughts on the president standing in front of

that huge statue today. >> that is an moexal moment for some people in the country especially those of us who are 50 plus, martha, who can think back to that time, that day, that moment. because it is so emotionally rich for america. you know, it was a moment in which americans came together. you had a sense of racial unity, black and white together, despite all the tensions and turmoils of that time. here you had, i think, a real expression of the founding fathers idea of, you know, all men being created equal. despite all the issues of slavery in the past 100 years after the e-- emancipation proclamation. here is the civil rights leader, martin luther king, jr., he give as talk which touches america in terms of our christian conscience and our brotherhood. it appealed to the best of america. martha: obviously many huge advancements have been made. the most obvious is president barack obama. of course you have other leaders

on the other side of the political spectrum, david, with colin powell and condoleezza rice having achieved such high positions in this country yet some people feel that there should be more sort of conservative representation at this event today as well as liberal representation at this. as a conservative talk radio host, what do you think about that, david? >> martha, i focus less on the representation, who should be there and what it actually represents. there are figures and icons that are important obviously. the most obvious president obama, colin powell, condoleezza rice, high-profile folks with the same color skin if you will. but what we need to do is look at what we do with this dream. martin luther king spoke to the conscience of a nation and juan and i talked about that many times. he talked about the promise in our declaration. the promises that were held in our constitution, or upheld in our constitution. what we've done as a nation take what was a world tragedy and

reversed course and now for all of us, not just for those that have lifted themselves way above with their achievements but for all of us we have to take hold of freedom and reconciliation as a nation. this is about recognizing our commonalities. what is important to moving forward in a land of opportunity? what matters when it comes to economic freedom, free enterprise. to bind into the real american dream which doesn't guaranty equal outcome but based on equal opportunity and that is something that we should incorporate. martha: understood. juan, in your piece you do a comparison of some of the music of that time that inspired so many people. when you read through the lyrics of people get ready and songs like, "we shall overcome", "bound for glory", "a change will come", such moving tribute at that capture so well the feeling of that time. you say you're a little bit disappointed in some of the cultural icons that exist today

and jay-z and the like and words and lyrics that they use and you like people to speak out about it. >> absolutely. in some ways i hope the president when he has the opportunity today doesn't just connect with the emotional power of what happened 50 years ago but talks about the continuing movement in america. part of that would be to call out these rappers and their use of the "n" word. the fact that they use profanity. that they defame woman and black women, right at the top of this given our high out of wedlock birth rates. it degenerates the notion of family and civilization and society, martha. i think you have to address these issues if you want to get somewhere. by the way, a moment ago you asked david about representation and i couldn't agree with your point more. i think it is so important. i went to a luncheon this week sponsored by the republican national committee, reince priebus here in washington. they had people like bob brown. might not be familiar to you and

your listeners. bob brown worked so closely with dr. king. he is a leading black republican. the opportunity to say, this crosses political lines. it crosses racial lines. at this moment crosses generational lines to bring us together as americans i think is an important statement and the music, you know, you think of "blowing in the wind", "change is going to come.eer" all americans, the sweetness of that time. martha: i ask everybody to take a look at juan's piece in "the wall street journal".com. it is very significant. and david webb, thank you so much for being here. we'll see you both later. >> thank you, martha. bill: there is a fight over the fail the after 9/11 memorial. the man defending this cross from an atheist group has a pretty unique perspective. we'll explain. martha: as we watch the final courtroom moments from the fort hood shooter, we'll bring you the sentence as that news comes in. you will see it live here in

"america's newsroom." a look how some of his victims are already feeling some measure of relief. that's coming up. the

♪ ♪ sloppy joe martha: sloppy joe may not be on the menu in the first lady's lunch menu program. kids are not very happy about that. districts around the country dropping out of the program complaining students that won't eat new meals that are packed with whole grains and vegetables. this happens at my house when i buy healthy stuff. lunch sales are big business for them. the drop in sales is puts them in the red, like a red sloppy

joe on a cold hamburger bun. you remember those? bill: right on. your kids, 7th grade, our lady of victory, give me extra slice of pizza for 25 cents i'm going with the pizza, especially on fridays. martha: i know. put the peanut butter and jelly on the seven-grain bread, you get the face, you know what i'm saying? mom? bill: been there. fox news alert, this might be the last time convicted fort hood shooter nidal hasan will be able to speak in front of the families of victims in court. casey stiegel live at fort hood, texas. closing arguments are about to begin. do we know how long the prosecution will talk today, case is? >> reporter: bill, good morning to you. they will probably not last that long really because closing arguments for the finding phase it is called, lasted hour an 1/2. they had to summarize testimony from 89 witnesses and present more than 700 pieces of evidence. this go round they're basically

driving home the point of 19 witnesses and less than 100 pieces of evidence. mostly pictures of the 13 who were killed here. some analysts have said they could speak for just about 30 minutes or so. next, the floor will go to major hasan. chances are he will not make a statement. he hasn't so far but again we could be surprised. then deliberations. remember it took the panel about six 1/2 hours to find hasan guilty on all charges. it will most likely take a lot less time to deliberate on the sentence, bill. bill: what if they do not choose death, casey, what then? >> reporter: well then hasan spends the rest of his life behind bars. that panel of 13 senior army officers must be unanimous. so all of them have to agree if they want to send hasan to military death throw. they will also be considering a couple other options. hasan's dishon discharge from the army and forfeiture from all pay and allahances. a lot of people have been shocked to know hasan has been

collecting a paycheck this entire time to the tune of nearly $300,000 and that is money he could pay back now to some of the victims and others, bill. an interesting day. we're on top of it. as soon as we get this sentence it will be delivered here live on fox. bill: a whole paycheck thing has a lot of folks shaking their head as you well know going back to november of 2009. casey stiegel, thanks, watching that for us at fort hood. martha. martha: as the white house weighs its options on syria there are new questions today about what happens after a possible military strike. what about iran? what would their next move be? peter king is going to join us live on that. bill: also check it out. it was the shot of a lifetime. martha: wow, sure was. bill: one woman's close encounter, close indeed. that is a humpback whale on the other side of her kayak. she is here live to tell us about how this whole thing went down. ♪ [ male announcer ] come to the lexus golden opportunity sales event

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before a strike. my next guest says the president has ever right to make the decision on his own. no congressional authority needed. new york congressman peter king with me live in the studio. good morning to you. >> good morning, bill. bill: so he has the right to act without authority? back that up. >> presidents have done this consistently. president reagan did it in grenada. president eisenhower did it in lebanon. if he is smart he will certainly consult with the house and senate leaders, with members of the top people on intelligence committee, armed services committee, the foreign affairs committee but he doesn't have to. as commander-in-chief i believe strongly the president has the constitutional right to carry this out. he has the right to do it. secondly i think he would be very smart to consult with the leadership. not all of congress. bill: i'm taking his own words as a senator, "boston globe", 2008. senator obama. the president does not have the power under the constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack against a nation

that doesn't stop a imminent threat to the nation. those are his words. >> to me the hardest thing to do is keep track of president obama one day to the next. he is was against guantanamo. guantanamo is still open. he is carrying out drone attacks. all the things he is doing is inconsistent and wrong. i'm not defending president obama. i'm defending the office of the president. bill: can you defend the threat to the united states from syria? what is that? >> chemical weapons are threats to everyone. once the line has been crossed that puts the entire world at risk that the threshold is cross and i think serious action has to be taken. more than that you have axis of iran and syria and which really puts the entire middle east in peril because then you have iraq in there and iraq has given its airspace to iran. so if we don't stop this right now, i say just iran becoming the dominant power in the middle east. bill: i see the logic you're using. six pieces of chess or six moves of chess but the argument you're

using is indirect threat to the united states. that's not what the law says. it says imminent threat to the nation. >> under the constitution the president has the right to take action, i believe. they have done it going back to ronald reagan, with grenada. eisenhower with lebanon. we can go back to president clinton, bosnia, kosovo. they can do it. he has the constitutional right to do it. bill: how do we do this in a way that is effective militarily, where you're not just moving around sand. >> right. bill: saw it in 1998 in sudan. at the same time in afghanistan we missed usama bin laden. there are other cases, march 1999, air war over kosovo. we didn't fly a plane below 15,000 feet in the war. >> yeah. bill: 2008, lebanon, libya, came to the french and british that supported us. how do you do it in a way where it is not just a pinprick or not just a show of force without an effective use of force? as you know there's a big difference.

>> absolutely. i have real problems the way the president handled this from the beginning. my concern if he is going to use cruise missiles and he does it for a few days and walks away. if he will take action at all. i say he has right to do it, if he will take action and sustained cruise missile attack and know what the endgame is. what does he want from all this? to knock out a few come man and control systems or get us to the negotiating table where we control the rebel force? as much as i respect john mccain i do believe there's a radical islamist element which may be close to dominating those rebel forces. i don't want to have assad knocked out and have al qaeda come in. if we can neutralize or weaken assad, force him to the table, that gives us leverage as far as controlling what the rebels do. bill: you would be satisfied with a one-day cam or even a one-hour campaign to send the message to assad without removing him from power? >> i don't believe we should be attempting to remove as sad from power. i think it will take more than one day.

i think it will take many days of sustained crews missile attacks before we substantially degraded the syrian military and command-and-control centers until they realize they have to negotiate. at that stage real negotiations can start. this is large thing. i'm not trying to oversimplify. this is a full-court press. bill: i understand. even if you damage assad to the point where al qaeda fighters are pouring in from all over the world, what have you done? >> if we bring this about we would have leverage at the table to control those rebel fighters. we should have been doing this last two years, controlling rebel fighters. we should have much more input than we have. obama is very hard to defend his policies. i'm really not defending his policy he has the right to carry out attack. attacks have to be carried out. has to be endgame. not one or two or three day endgame to soothe his conscience. bill: i hope we figure out what the endgame will be. peter king, congressman from new york, here in studio. >> thank you. bill: martha, what's next?

martha: what's next is this. small aircraft serving a critical new purpose for u.s. drug enforcers as we learn about a secret operation in the war against mexican cartels where potentially dangerous surveillance is now being conducted from the skies. william la jeunesse live from our west coast newsroom. good morning, william. >> reporter: well, martha drug war of course has a twofold, confiscate the shipments and kill or capture the kingpins. with u.s. help mexico had a great deal of success. now we know one reason why. it's a covert program involving a plane like the one you see here that began after the death after u.s. agent in 2011. known as operation low-rider. u.s. northern command flew manned aircraft out of texas to gather intelligence on cartel leaders. the advanced eavesdropping equipment these pattern of life recon missions learn schedules and routines of their targets. using that plus wiretaps and undercover agents. mexico eliminated more than 100 high level traffickers.

reporting on this operation came out this morning on a website, cocative.com. >> i'm told they fly daily as much as possible. they're always, they land. they refuel. they get their maintenance and they get out again. >> reporter: now it is not without risk. in 2003 two u.s. planes doing similar missions in colombia. one was killed by guerrillas. and the other kept in captivity for five years. martha. martha: wow. thank you. bill: atheists are calling this memorial grossly offensive. coming up we'll talk to the fire chief behind the tribute. he is not even a christian. he will defend it. martha: interesting story. so he will be here. spying on students. wait until you hear what one school is doing to keep tabs on the kids after they leave the school!

♪ [ male annouer ] let's go places. but let's be ready.

♪ let's do our homework. ♪ let's look out for each other. let's look both ways before crossing. ♪ let's remember what's important. let's be optimistic. but just in case -- let's be ready. let'go places, safely.

bill: there's a school in california, a high school in

fact, now monitoring its students even after they go home. glendale high hiring a firm to screen student activity on social media. the company looks at sites like twitter and facebook and instagram and they say they're filtering the information to help them prevent situations like bullying or substance abuse or skipping school. glendale superintendent claiming they prevented one student's possible suicide as a result of that program. interesting. martha: well an atheist group is now threatening to sue a new jersey town over their plans for a 9/11 memorial. the group is protesting this beam recovered from the twin towers wreckage because it displays a cross. american athiest writing a letter to princeton's mayor saying quote, the intention to commemorate those who died at the world trade center is admirable and appropriate for a community, the use after singular religious image will be grossly offensive and alienating

to many people. roy james is the princeton deputy fire chief behind this memorial. roy, welcome. >> thank you. bill: martha: good to have you here. what inspired you to want to raise this steel beam and create a memorial in princeton? >> well there's many different things. 9/11 affected all of us, no matter what religion, what creed, what race, anything. the, the whole world was affected by 9/11. so, one of the things, my wife actually should have been there that day and, thanks to our little guardian angel who wasn't born at the time she didn't make it. martha: she was pregnant at home at the time so she didn't go to work that die. >> i know so many people that lost loved once. martha: yeah. >> to me it is very important. if you look at that day there is nothing that symbolizes anything other than people were so nice to each other. after 9/11, it was, it was unbelievable. we were in our fire trucks coming back from a call one day and we had a whole group of

people stop us in the middle of the road. they opened the door, they shook our hands, they hugged us, kissed, thanks us for everything we've done. again if that is what, if anything good that came out of 9/11 that's it. martha: so the atheists are very upset about this. it's a christian symbol obviously, the cross that is on this steel beam. you're jewish, right? >> i am jewish, yes. martha: you don't have a cross on the front of isn't. >> no, i don't. martha: they're suggesting compromises and things you can do to keep these atheists happy so they would allow you to erect this on a place you think, you found in your town that would be perfect for it, right? >> we have such a great place. unfortunately or fortunately it is on public land. now, the cross, it is symbolic. it has nothing to do with religion. it's not a religious symbol whatsoever in this aspect. during the times of 9/11 the steelworkers would cut out crosses. they would cut out stars of david.

they would cut out symbols and would give them to the family members of those that perished that day. and, i cut out an article and, you know, there's, there is something here that actually shows different symbols. martha: yeah. >> and, again, if, if we hide it, if we don't acknowledge what this is there for, then, basically the person that died that day or the person that carved it out, we're saying that their feelings or their emotions don't mean anything. and to me, i think that's, that's not right. martha: they asked you to do something, to write something, to add a plaque to this. what did they want it to say? >> they want ad plaque basically acknowledging all the atheists that perished that day as well. well, besides the atheists there were muslims. there were jews, there were christians. there were buddhists, every different type of religion. like i said said was affected. to single out just one group i think is wrong. it is not right.

martha: if it was star of david or another symbol you would want to raise this, same beam, this happens to be the beam that your town has, that you had in your fire department, right? >> correct. if it was something that may have, been symbolic to the atheist, to me, it is just as important to show it or, it's, to me it doesn't matter because i don't look at that as a religious symbol. we're not asking people to go and, and have a priest have a ceremony every week. this is something that tells a story. i think it needs to tell that story. martha: roy, how is this going to go. what will happen here? what is your gut feeling? >> my feeling because of people like you and the wonderful acknowledgement that we have received, the story is being told. i think the way it is really going to happen, we'll have to turn the beam that the cross is facing one of the pillars but, as much as i -- martha: what do you mean by that? the beam would be standing

straight up, right? >> the beam would be standing straight up and on each side of beam there will be three pillars of limestone. it will be basically a straight design. martha: right. >> so what we were thinking about doing turning the cross so it faces one of the limestone beams. now, is that what i want to do? absolutely not, but i have to think about, if we fight this, which we, i still intend to do, even if i do turn it, it is going to take three years. i don't know if it is worth the three years, to wait to build the memorial. martha: well, i commend you, for taking this on and making it your personal way to remember all of those who were lost and good luck to you. >> thank you. martha: and we all hope fellow folks in new jersey can come visit one day when you're done. roy, thank you very much for spending time with us today. good luck to you. bill: going on 12 years too. martha, thank you. jon scott "happening now" rolls your way. 12 minutes and counting. >> working on it, bill, working

on it. the u.n. security council meets on syria today as tensions mount. it appears more likely that the u.s. could launch a missile attack on syria in retaliation on a chemical attack that left hundreds of citizens dead. all this with iran threatening to hit israel if the u.s. strikes israel -- syria. reuters report today on obamacare. we'll fill you in on what is happening. the 50 years after the famous "i have a dream" speech. we're watching the come mem operation in washington. we'll see you then. bill: john, thank you. have you seen this picture. kayakers surrounded by a group of 80,000-pound humpback whales. the woman in the kayak, she will join us next to tell us all about it. ♪

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bill: story today we do think. it gets our vote. face-to-face with a very large fin and some of the largest creatures on earth. look at the image here. the woman in the kayak is karen hatch. she was surrounded by a 80,000-pound humpback whale, a whole pod of them. california bay, monterey coast. karen is with us in northern california. good morning to you. >> good morning to you. bill: i hope your friend john karl low is watching because he is the one who had the picture. >> yeah he did. bill: he thinks this is the picture of a lifetime. what were you doing, karen? >> basically we were out there watching he invited me to go out. the conditions were going to be good. we couldn't ask for more

beautiful day. wave conditions were good. it is normally foggy that part of monterey bay but it cleared up. the whales were out just about two or three miles out of the harbor. it was pretty ease to get out there. it was incredible. we've seen a lot of whale watch sightings. seen a lot of sightings and whales coming up feeding. bill: but karen, karen, come on! this is three feet away from your kayak. >> yeah. that was the highlight. basically we were out there, all of sudden i see directly ahead of me pretty much the whale surface. there were probably about 50, 60 feet away at the time. they were headed straight towards me. i was like, uh-oh, trying to get out of their way. trying to get out of the way not making too much noise. bill: do you think they were flirting with you or just messing around? >> it is possible. bill: karen, there is picture on our screen, blowing us away. you are probably 10 to 15 feet away from that thing. >> they were cruising toward me so fast i couldn't get out of the way.

i thought i was going in the water and i thought they swamped my boat. i was prepared for that. i had a wetsuit. i was a little worried. at the last minute, 10 or 15 feet away they saw me or heard me and dove underneath to avoid hitting me. it was incredible. >> you were said you were in ah how sensitive they were with their surroundings. >> yes. bill: what do you mean by that? >> well as i notice they were cruising toward me there was a moment when both of them at the same time, there was two whales that were side by side at that point, both of them seemed to pick up that i was there and i could see kind of like, in how fast they go, they didn't realize i was there at first and when they did they dove right underneath me. i was so struck that they're really aware of their surroundings. i was 15, 20 feet away at the time and they were still able to ascertain where i was. bill: when you got close to you not even a single drop of water. >> no. they went into the with water so

quickly and quietly it was was incredible. bill: are you going there again? i assume you were looking for whales? >> we were out there to whale watch. being on a kayak to whale watch is a great experience. you're with them on their level. i definitely want to go out there to say thank you to those whales. bill: great story, karen. thank you for shareing. >> you're welcome. bill: karen hatch, in northern california. martha: pretty cool, right? bill: yeah. what a story. martha: i love whales. nothing like seeing a whale out of the ocean. see them off the coast of cape cod too. it is pretty spectacular. i will take pictures next time. bill: the whale is bigger than the kayak. that could be an issue. martha: we have breaking news this morning as we continue to follow the options that are being weighed when it comes to syria. new details from our producer now who is at the united nation this is morning as the obama administration puts military assets into position. will we strike and when? we'll be right back in "america's newsroom." [gunfire] the humble back seat.

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martha: man bitten by wolf? bill: yeah. martha: woman swimming with whales. very active show today, like "national geographic" today. bill: i will be in washington tomorrow. you're in new york on stand by for anything that happens. martha: i will be on bill o'reilly tonight. "happening now" starts right now >> i have a dream. jon: five decades after dr. martin luther king, jr. spoke at the lincoln memorial, president obama and other dignitaries will stand on the same steps to commemorate the march on washington, the same steps where dr. king delivered his "i have a dream" speech to a quarter of a million people and thousands are expected to gather there today. we will have much more on today's events throughout our time on the air. >> top story now. a fox news alert. preparations for a strike on syria. right now u.s.-led air or missile strikes, they're looking all but cer